Mail-bag-delivery apparatus.



W. B. DE WITT. MAIL B AG DELIVERY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1908.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

attain;

v i To all whom it mag "concern:

in the-form o 'standin unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WALTER 3. DE w'rr'r, or JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA; MAILBAG-DELIVERY surnames.

. for on the car or at the statioint-he apparatus being entirely automatic after themembers thereof are once set in proper cooperative relation.

With the above general object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of arts herein fully described,illustrated and c aimed.

In theaccompanyin is-a perspective view, s owing the delivering or throwing element, and also showing the receiving element carried'by a car. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the receiving element. Fig. 3 is a vertical-sectional view of the deliv ring and receiving elements in their operative positlons. Eig. 4-is aplanview of the'delivering orthr'owlng element.

ortion of the apparatus which receives-tliemail bag is shown as mounted on 1 the car and comprising-a shelf 1, fpreferably ered with meshed wire fabriqasshown at 2,

- and hingedly connected at 3 to the car'body at opposite sides of the door opening 4,

' T e shelf l-is provided along'its outer edge with'an elevated guard or-rall 5 to prevent shelf, and the said guard railalso forms a portion of the supporting or sus ending means, as seen in 'FlgSwl: and T iesupporting means also comprises a rock shaft 6 extending across the car door opening and having mounted thereon a pair=of levers 7 and 8 which extend inane proximately horizontal plane when the shelf l is in its 0 erative or receiving position. The inwardly extending ortions of the-levers are provided with handl 's 9 within reach ofthe opera tor inside of the door 0 ening, and each of said evers is also provided with an outwardly extending arm 10 to which is con-- nected the upper end of a jointed and folding.

Specification of LetteraPatentQ Application iiled'fl'areh.4, 1808. SeriaINo. 119,217.

:drawings,Figure 1- ',Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

suspension-bar or link comprising up er and lower sections 11 and 12 respective y connected-together by a pivot joint, as seen at 13. At'their lower ends the sections 12 are provided with sleeves 14 which embrace the guard rail 5.

The'levers 7 are-held in. an operative position by means of'suitable keepers 15 secured to the'door frame, and when the receiving apparatus as a whole is folded. upward against the side ofthe car,---the leverarms '10 are enga ed with hooks 16 at each side of the door to old such portion of the apparatus folded'in an out-of-the-way position so as-to afford" no projection'beyond the side of'the' car.

The-deliveringor throwing elementwhich holds the bag In readiness to be projected in the direction of the receiving portion of the apparatus is illustratedin Figs. 1, 3 and 4, wherein it is seen to embody upper and lower substantially U-shaped frame pieces'17 and 18 secured together by vertical connecting bar-s19 and furtherbracedby means of a rod 20 whichforms the pivot of a tilting'bag supporting shelf 21, the inner portion of which conforms to the general shape of the holder, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4. The upright portions 19are further connected by'a stop 22 in the form of a second rod extending below thepivot rod 20, as best seen in Fig. 3, said stop rod.22 serving to limit the tilting movement of the shelf'in the act of delivering the bag ame pieces 17 and .18 1s a backing of meshed wire fabric, as shown at 23, the frame pieces 17 and 18 and the fabric 23 thus forming a basket-like holder substantially U-shaped in horizontal section in which'the bag is placed prior to the arrival of p'aratus.

At its 'top and bottom'the delivering elemen overlap other hinge lugs '25 on brackets 26 secured to'a support'27 which may be inthe form of a post, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3;

28 designates a hinge pin or bolt which passes through the overlapping lugs 24 and 25, thereby forming a hinged connection between the holder and the supporting post, permitting said holder to swing through a imited arc.

- Pivotally mounted on the supporting post 27 and located between said post and the Extending between the upper and lower I the ear-carryingthe receiving part of the apholder is a latch bar 28 carryin at its opposite ends spring bumpers-29 a apted to receive and cushion the impact of the holder whenit is forcibly thrown from one limit of its movement to the other limit. Each of said bumpers is shown as comprising a pin 30 having an im act head 31 which is normallyheld outwar away from the body of the latch bar by a coiled spring 32 interposedbetween'the latch bar and the impact head, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. At opposite sides of v the central fulcrum point of said latch bar tion in windy weather. 20'

- imparted thereto by the arms 10 of the evers which hold the re-.

the latter is provided with inclined li s 33 which are adapted'to engage the lower ame' piece of the delivering element, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to hold said element at one or the other limit of its movement to prevent the same being moved out of its proper posi- The extremities of the top and bottom frame ieces 17 and 18 are connected by vertical ars or rods 34 which are preferably covered with rubber casings 35 to cushion the impactof the blow the projecting ends of ceiving shelf in readiness to receive the delivered bag.

From the understood that preparatory to the arrival of a train, the mail bag is laced on the shelf 21, the weight being distributed thereon so that the shelf will maintain a horizontal position and at the same time readily tilt when the holder or delivering element is struck. The holderis then swung to the proper side and engaged by the latchbar 28. When. the train reaches the station, the advance lever arm 10 strikes against the rod or bar 34 lying in the path thereof and imparts a quick movement to the'holder, which thereupon acts to throw or project the bag therefrom toward the car door opening. At the same time the shelf 21 tilts automatically, thereby 'cated within the pat foregoing description it will be element in a predetermine in presence-of 2. In mail bag delivering apparatus, the

combination with a receiver mounted-on the car, of a delivering element mounted adj acent to the'railwa and comprising a pivoted and swinging ma' bag holder, a tllting shelf onwhich the bag is su ported, and means loof the receiver and adapted to be struck thereby for imparting a swingin movement to the delivering e ement, the toward the receiver.

3. In mail bag delivery apparatus, the combination of a bag receiving element, and

latter acting to project the bag.

a bag delivering element substantially U- shaped in horizontal'section and mounted to swing horizontally, said delivering element comprising a bag supporting shelf, and means ada ted to be. arranged in the-path of a part of t e receiver. I

4. In mail bag delivery apparatus, the combination with a receivmg device carried .by the'car, of a swinging. bag supporting and throwing element mounted ad acent to the railway and comprising a bag supporting shelf, means arranged to be struck by the receiving device on the car, a latch for retaining the throwin elementin a redetermined position, and a um er carr-ie by said latch.

5. In mail bag elivery a paratus, the combinationwith a receivmgevice carried by the car, of a bag holding and throwing device mounted adjacent to the railway and adapted to; swing horizontally, a tilting bag supporting shelf connected with said holder,

means for hmiting'the tilting movement of the shelf, means for holding the throwin position, an means on said throwin element ada ted to be struck b the receiving device on t e car, substantia y as and for-the purpose specified; 6. In mail bag, delivery. apparatus, the combination with a swinging bag holding and delivering element located adjacent to the railwa of a receiver carried by the car and embo ying a folding bag receivmg shelf, a lever for tilting and supporting said shelf, and a connection between said lever and the shelf, said lever being ada ted to strike against the mail bag delivering e ement to impart a nick movement thereto, substantially as an for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature two witnesses. WALTER B. DE WI'TWI. Witnessesr w 'RICHARD WILLIS,

'SAML. W. Fox. 

